QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.8md

Earthquake near Miranda, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Miranda in the 24 hours to 10:11 am AST (14:11 UTC). The last one was M 4.8, 77 km (48 mi) SW, at 9:19 am AST on 18 September 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 86 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Miranda

This page: a magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) west of Miranda, PR, at 10:32 pm AST on 11 January 2023 (02:32 UTC), 104 km deep.

USGS: 3 km W of Miranda, Puerto Rico

37 km (23 mi) W of San Juan, PR · 27 km (17 mi) W of Bayamón, PR

10:32 pm AST, Jan 11, 2023 · · 104 km deep · released about 510 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Miranda Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Vega Baja Municipio 8 kmMorovis Municipio 8 kmVega Alta Municipio 10 kmManatí Municipio 10 kmCorozal Municipio 13 kmCiales Municipio 15 kmFlorida Municipio 16 kmBarceloneta Municipio 17 kmToa Alta Municipio 18 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
10:32 pm AST on 11 January 2023 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) west of Miranda, PR · earthquakes near Miranda
Magnitude
M 2.8 (md)
Depth
104 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Vega Baja Municipio, 8 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1399 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Miranda, 3 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Barahona, Coto Norte, Franquez, Vega Baja, Morovis, Monserrate.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 510 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 30,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 21,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.9× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.8 about 510 lb of TNT

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.8 12 km N of Garrochales, Puerto Rico · 25 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 33 km ESE of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 15 km NNE of this epicentre

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 18.3888, -66.4163. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Vega Baja Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) NNE earthquakes near Vega Baja Municipio
Morovis Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) S earthquakes near Morovis Municipio
Vega Alta Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) ENE earthquakes near Vega Alta Municipio
Manatí Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) NW earthquakes near Manatí Municipio
Corozal Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) SE earthquakes near Corozal Municipio
Ciales Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) SW earthquakes near Ciales Municipio

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

7 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 2.3 Puerto Rico region
  2. 3.6 11 km NNE of Hatillo, Puerto Rico
  3. 3.7 Puerto Rico region
  4. 2.2 3 km ENE of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  5. 3.1 3 km SSW of Cayey, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.6 2 km NNE of Orocovis, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.6 24 km NNE of Dorado, Puerto Rico

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.